January 3, 2023

Dear Members of Our Campus Community,

I am pleased to announce the appointment of Kelly Barsky as our next Director of Intercollegiate Athletics, effective January 1, 2023.

Kelly Barsky has been serving as our Interim Director of Intercollegiate Athletics since January 2022, overseeing all facets of our athletics department, aligning with the campus and department mission that serves the student-athlete experience, campus, and community. At the national level, Kelly serves as the Big West Conference Liaison to the NCAA Division I Council, and is a member of the NCAA Division I Women’s Basketball Oversight Committee. She participates as a liaison to the Men’s Basketball Oversight Committee as well.

Prior to being named to the interim role, Kelly served as UC Santa Barbara’s Deputy Athletics Director and Senior Woman Administrator for eight years, overseeing internal affairs and building collaborative relationships throughout the campus and community. Her direct reports included NCAA compliance, sports medicine, sports performance, academic services, and student services, in addition to leading department collaborations with Housing and Residential Services, the Department of Recreation, Student Health Services, and Counseling and Psychological Services to name a few. She was a sport supervisor to many of the athletics programs over the years.

Kelly originally joined UC Santa Barbara in 2008 as an assistant women’s basketball coach. In 2011, she moved into an academic advisor position in the College of Letters and Science, and in 2014 rejoined the athletics department as deputy athletics director. Before joining UC Santa Barbara, she served as an Assistant Women’s Basketball Coach at St. Francis College and the University of New Hampshire. She also spent time as an Interim Senior Woman Administrator while at St. Francis College. Kelly holds bachelor’s degrees in psychology and elementary education from Keene State College, where she was also a women’s basketball student-athlete, team captain, and four-year letter winner. She earned her master’s degree in kinesiology with a concentration in sport studies from the University of New Hampshire.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank co-chairs Gary Cunningham and Gene Lucas and all the members of our search advisory committee listed below for their thorough and dedicated work during this national search. I would also like to thank our coaches and athletics department staff, our Intercollegiate Athletics Policy Board, and other members of our campus community who provided valuable input during this process.

Kelly brings a wealth of experience to our Athletics Director position, and will continue to be an exceptional leader for our campus and athletics programs. We have all been impressed by her knowledge, her energy, and enthusiasm, and her deep commitment to supporting our coaches and student-athletes in achieving their academic and athletics goals, as well as her service to the department, campus, and community. Please join me in congratulating Kelly and her family, and welcoming her to her new role. 

 
Sincerely,
 
Henry T. Yang
Chancellor
 


Director of Intercollegiate Athletics Search Advisory Committee
 
Gary Cunningham, Co-Chair, Former Director of Intercollegiate Athletics
Gene Lucas, Co-Chair, Executive Vice Chancellor Emeritus; UC Santa Barbara Alumni Association Board member
Katya Armistead, Staff representative; Assistant Vice Chancellor and Dean of Student Life
John Arnhold, UC Santa Barbara alumnus; Foundation Trustee Chair
Pat Graham, Community member
Bonnie Henrickson, Head Coach, Women’s Basketball
Peter Jordano, Community member; Foundation Trustee
Min Kim, Associated Students representative
Michelle Ohwobete, Student-athlete representative; Women’s Volleyball
Lisa Przekop, Director of Admissions
Dr. Richard Ryu, Team Physician; Foundation Trustee
Jenni Sorkin, Professor, History of Art & Architecture
Annjulie Vester, Graduate Student Association representative; PhD candidate, Political Science
Mike Wilton, Assistant Professor, Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology

Ex officio
Ricardo Alcaíno, Director, Equal Opportunity & Discrimination Prevention Office